The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of skilled nursing, senior housing, home health and hospice care.
Elizabeth Gifford, director of social services and behavioral health at Mission Health Communities, has been named a 2024 Future Leader by Skilled Nursing News.
To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40-years-old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.
Gifford sat down with Skilled Nursing News to discuss what drew her to the skilled nursing industry, and how the public perception of the sector needs to be corrected.
To learn more about the Future Leaders program, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.
SNN: What drew you to this industry?
Gifford: I had been working in the ICU at a hospital, when my husband got a job that required us to move. I knew I needed a break from hospital social work so I started looking at my options. I saw an opening for a social worker position at a local nursing home, applied and got it. I had no idea that taking that job 10 plus years ago would create a passion for helping others, working with their families and loving the elderly population.
SNN: What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in this industry?
Gifford: I would say that nursing homes are not what the general public thinks of them. They are great places with very skilled and intelligent workers that care for your loved ones with compassion, care and love.
SNN: If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of Skilled Nursing, what would it be?
Gifford: That Skilled Nursing jobs offer a great career path for social workers and nursing. We need kind, caring and compassionate people to care for our residents.
SNN: What do you foresee as being different about the Skilled Nursing industry looking ahead to 2025?
Gifford: The way we utilize technology with the residents.
SNN: In a word, how would you describe the future of Skilled Nursing?
Gifford: Technology. With all the advancements we see coming out daily, technology can assist us with making more efficient the way we get things done as far as communicating with families, keeping in touch with loved ones, remote monitoring and activities that are engaging.
SNN: What quality must all Future Leaders possess?
Gifford: The ability to listen, to not just hear, but to sit and listen and take in what your employees and residents have to say. Often times the ones working the front lines have the best ideas of how to make things better.
SNN: If you could give advice to yourself looking back to your first day in the industry, what would it be and why?
Gifford: Grace. Give yourself grace. It is a challenging field, but so rewarding. The good days far outweigh the challenging days.
